Even though HealthTexas Medical Group's more than 200 staff members are spread over 15 locations around San Antonio, they manage to have the occasional impromptu get-together.

Most recently it was at Bandera Bowl, where teams competed in a costumed bowling contest. The winners dressed up as banana splits and served - what else? - the ice-cream treat to colleagues, said Dr. Richard Reyna, HealthTexas' president and CEO.

"It's just a fun opportunity for us to get together and get to know each other better and see another side of us when we're playing as opposed to working," Reyna said of the gathering. Up next: a staff picnic that will include a volleyball tournament.

"So there's the typical smack that goes around on the interoffice e-mail about who's going to win," Reyna said.

It's those kinds of events that helped make HealthTexas the top workplace among midsize firms with 150 to 399 employees in analysis conducted by WorkplaceDynamics.

Founded by Reyna in 1994, HealthTexas is a physician-owned primary-care practice. It has 33 physicians and generated more than $50 million in revenue last year, he said.

Reyna cited other factors that earned HealthTexas strong grades in the rankings of top workplaces.

"We pay our associates pretty well," Reyna said. "We make sure we're in the top 20 percentile" in compensation by conducting annual salary surveys. HealthTexas offers free health insurance to staff members and discounted rates for dependents, along with company contributions to a 401(k) plan, Reyna said.

"The company provides great benefits for us," said Ruby Coronado, a medical receptionist who has been with HealthTexas for 4½ years. "They're always looking out for our best interests."

HealthTexas also has a manager-training program that takes about six months to complete. "About 90 percent of our clinic managers are people who started as rank-and-file, clerks and office staff," Reyna said.

The practice also has a "Success Team" comprised of about 20 staff members who come up with recommendations on how to make HealthTexas a better place to work, he said.

HealthTexas is a lot different, Coronado said, from the other places she's worked.

"Everyone is more like an equal here," she said. "I enjoy coming to work because the doctors make it very comfortable. Even on the hectic days that we have, they always have the time to show us that they appreciate what we do for them."